Page:History of the French in India.djvu/521

 LAW S VACILLATION. 495 his equal. The greatest European generals who have chap. served in India have succeeded because they understood 1X ' this — because they never hesitated to act upon it. Law, 17 r, 6 who was not a great general, neither understood nor conformed to it. Law halted. With that halt, the dangers of his position, on which, in action, his mind would have had no time to dwell, became exaggerated tenfold to his mental vision. He began by degrees to lose sight of the great end for which he had set out from Machhlipatan. His mind fell gradually under the conviction that it was for Bussy to relieve him, not for him to relieve Bussy. His situation assumed the most deplorable hues ; all appeared lost. The other officers caught the infection from their leader ; and, in a council of war, it was resolved to send a letter to Bussy, intimating the impossibility of further advance. Bussy received this letter on the night of the 12th of August, on his return from a successful night attack on the enemy's camp, made solely by his Europeans. It perplexed him exceedingly; but knowing that the detach- ment was strong enough to force its way to Haidarabad, neutralised as had been the opposition of two of the Marat ha chieftains, he sent Law a despatch, conveying, " in the name of the King," a categorical order to march forward at once and under all circumstances. At the same time, to paralyse any further movement on the part of the enemy, he marched out of the Char Mahall at the head of 150 Europeans and 300 sipahis, crossed the bridge over the Musi, and pitching his own tent, known to everyone in the Dakhan, on the other side, encamped there. This single act on the part of Bussy showed not less courage and daring than a profound and intimate know- ledge of the native character. He knew the impression- able minds, the light and credulous nature of the people of the Dakhan. He knew that the fact of his tent being pitched outside the Char Mahall would of itself* be